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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Can I get a house to go?

I've always wanted to own a home. It just seems like it would take me a really long time to try and save up for one, especially in the Palo Alto area where housing prices are routinely about several million. But I have a idea that might allow me to live in Palo Alto, I just don't have a lot of space.

In comes a brilliant idea from Jay Shafer, a guy who founded Tumbleweedhouses. It is like a mobile home but a lot smaller and a whole lot more pleasant to look at. One of these babies are only tens of grands rather than hundreds. They come pre-built or comes in a DIY kit for those who are crafty.

The whole idea is to be minimalistic while being cheap and mobile. It is excellent for people just starting out after college or people that want to take their vacation home on a vacation.

I just love the efficient and ergonomic design of these things, couple with the fact you can take your home anywhere and kind of life off the land. The roof can be outfitted with a solar array for power and rain water can be collected for use in the shower and toilets. There is even a fireplace that uses propane during those cold nights. The only downside is the lack of stable internet connection, a person would need to find a local hotspot.

My plan is to buy one of these things if it looks like the housing market is too expensive for me to buy into and I can't afford the rent in my apartment. Realisticlly it would be hard to give up running water and internet without substitutes. Also I would still need an area of land to tether myself to during nights, unless I can squat in a Walmart parking lot for a couple of months.

Some day though, I want to be free and take a journey like the person above with all my belongs to a distant and far away land. Until then I will only dream of owning a mobile home.